Toxic

iv

Jimin's nerves had nearly reached their limits by the time the buzzer rang throughout the house. After nervously pacing around his bedroom for the past hour, the sudden buzz had Jimin flinching in shock. Jimin quickly dashed down the hallway and after a near death experience with the kitchen counter, managed to slam into the wall where the intercom was installed. Pressing the button, Jimin nervously stuttered into the intercom.

"Who-who is it...?"

"Yah Jiminah! How could you ask that when we're the only ones who visit you? Have we been forgotten already?"

Laughing quietly to himself at his friends theatrics, Jimin pressed the button that opened the doors to the apartment complex. Wringing his hands nervously, Jimin stood in the living room as the door to his and Jungkook's apartment swung open. Two men entered the apartment, stumbling under the weight of several grocery bags. The taller of the two dropped his bags at the entrance before walking towards Jimin with a dimpled smile. The other man shrieked indignantly as he was left with the abandoned bags. Jimin smiled at the two before focusing on the taller man. He hadn't seen either of them in such a long time-has it been weeks? Months? Jimin didn't know, he was just glad to see them again.

"How have you been Namjoon?" The taller man-Namjoon grinned cheekily at Jimin before ruffling his hair. Either ignoring the sores and bumps littering Jimin's scalp or missing them altogether, Namjoon laughed as he responded.

"I'm fine myself, but your the one I really want to hear about! You haven't responded to any of my emails! Don't you think it's time for you to get a phone or something? It's been a month since we last spoke and then you send me a shady email asking for groceries and-"

"Yah Namjoon! Are you gonna leave me here to drag all of these into the kitchen? Stop interrogating Jimin and come help me!" Rolling his eyes, Namjoon walked over to where the grocery bags and the other visitor were left at.

"I was going to, Hoseok. Let me at least say 'hi' to Jimin first." Hoseok made a face at Namjoon as the taller man reached down to grab the bags. Hoseok snatched at as many of the groceries he could at once after shooing away Jimin who was walking over to help.

"Don't exert yourself, Jiminah. If you can pass out from doing the dishes then I don't even want to think about what'll happen when you lift groceries." The frown was evident on Jimin's face as Hoseok and Namjoon staggered over to the kitchen and promptly dumped everything onto the floor. No Jimin did not faint while doing the dishes, he just had a dizzy spell and that is not the same. Hovering behind the two as Namjoon and Hoseok stuffed the groceries haphazardly into the fridge, Jimin scanned the dwindling bags as his heart pounded furiously in his chest. When he emailed Namjoon last Friday, Jimin quickly listed the usual groceries that he and Jungkook needed like he always did. There was something else he asked for as well.

Noticing Jimin's searching eyes, Namjoon turned to Jimin and gave him a knowing nod. Namjoon grabbed one of the bags that still held its contents in it and headed over to Jimin. "Hey Hoseok, I need to hand something over to Jimin so finish up with this by yourself." The two walked off into the living room as Hoseok called after them in annoyance.

"Hey! I'm older than both of you and you have the guts to boss me around? You little punks!" Waving a hand at Hoseok dismissively, Namjoon began to pull a conspicuous box from the shopping bag. Jimin's mind was screaming at him not to do this, to laugh off his request as turn down Namjoon's gift. All thoughts were immediately silenced when Namjoon opened the box to reveal everything Jimin could ever want-everything Jungkook couldn't and wouldn't give him.

Shoes

Technically speaking, there wasn't anything particularly special about the plain sneakers that, quite frankly, could be dismissed as secondhands. There shouldn't have been anything special about the shoes that made Jimin's hand tremble, his chest heave with tampered sobs, his eyes blur with tears but there was. They were his shoes. His.

Namjoon's eyes furrowed as Jimin lowered his head to hide his sudden tears. Jimin coughed as he kept his eyes glued on the sneakers. Tears stuck to his fluttering eyelashes as Jimin quickly blinked. Lowering himself on one of his knees,Namjoon looked up at Jimin who lowered his face till his chin rested in the crook between his collarbones. Speaking as one would to a frightened animal, Namjoon slowly spoke.

"Are you okay?"

Hahahah yeah sorry this chapter is short. I'll make it up to everyone with a longer chapter next time. Beware the angst.